Remember to Pray

Yesterday I challenged everyone to pray for the future direction of our church; where is God leading us? I plan on asking God for direction everyday this week. I hope you will join me in committing to this prayer as well! And I've already had one person come in and joke with me about my museum- good thing you all have a sense of humor:)

Addition to Book List

My newest edition to my book list is "Eight Life-Enriching Practices of United Methodists" by Henry (or Hal) Knight. Hal is a professor at St. Paul Seminary in K.C. and is a fantastic Wesleyan theologian! I'm into the third chapter of his book and already finding it very beneficial. If you are looking for a book on spiritual disciplines and spiritual formation, I would recommend Hal's "Eight Life-Enriching Practices of United Methodists". I even have an extra copy:)

Feeding the Angel, Purging the Demon

Simple, regular practices make us healthier people. I'm attempting to create two morning practices that make me a healthier person; I like to think of it as Feeding the Angel and Purging the Demon. I try to spend some time during each day in prayer, meditation, scripture or other growth focused reading; this is how I feed my angel (so to speak). I also try to exercise almost everyday. The picture is of the home gym in my basement that my brother's, father-in-law graciously gave to me. I rotate weights with mountain biking during the week. When I do this I discipline my body, push it hard, focus my energy and purge my demon (so to speak- again). Both of these practices help me with stress management and creating a more peaceful me. How do you feed your angel and purge your demon?

November Stewardship Series

November Stewardship Series

We will wrap up our series on the Gospel of John at the end of October and begin a new series. In November we will begin to talk about Stewardship which is an essential part of discipleship. A healthy church thrives on disciples who are committed to regular stewardship practices. The last two weeks will present opportunities for us to pledge our gifts of volunteer service and financial offerings to our church. Please begin to prayerfully consider how you will grow in discipleship and stewardship in 2010.

Week 1: What Stewardship Has to do With Discipleship?

Week 2: Missions: An Outward Response

Week 3: Volunteerism: An Inward Response

Week 4: Financial Gifts: Supporting Ministries and Mission

Youth BBQ Event

We had another good night at the parsonage. Our high school and middle school students came over for a BBQ. Other than getting beat in a game of corn hole, I had a great time as well. We spent some time talking about the future of youth ministry at WUMC. I'm impressed by the things our youth said were important to them. At the top of the list were mission events and meeting on a regular basis on Sunday evenings for fellowship. So, what we need are adults who are willing to pull alongside our teens. People who will care about the lives of our teens, pray with them and mentor them. Could this be you? We should talk soon:) By the way, Cody sank 4 bags in the hole in a row (see the little hole by his leg in this pic)! Never seen that done before- pretty amazing! You can check out more pictures on my facebook.

Newest Blog Site on Outdoors

I love the outdoors! I actually put short trips on my calendar because they feed my energy levels. Since I want to keep this blog focused on church ministry I created a second blog for my outdoor passion. I won't update it as much; probably after outdoor activities or after trying out new outdoor gear. You can check it out at: http://outdoorpastor.blogspot.com/ Hope you enjoy it:)

Morning Devotion- Brother Lawrence

My morning devotion material centers around a short book named, "The Brother Lawrence Collection" and I am currently in "Practice and Presence of God". I found an exert this morning that I had to post immediately. I hope you enjoy it- I don't think any explanation is necessary:
"When we are in doubt, he continued, God never fails to show us the right way to go, as long as our only goal is to please Him and show our love for Him.
He thought it was a shame that some people pursued certain activites (which, he noted, they did rather imperfectly due to human shortcomings), mistaking the means for the end. He said that our sanctification does not depend as much on changing our activities as it does on doing them for God rather than for ourselves". - p. 55

Labor Day!

Do you have any plans tomorrow (Sunday)? Come over to the parsonage for a cook out! Come over at 5pm and leave before I go to bed, whenever that will be. We will have hot dogs on hand. Please feel free to bring something else (steak, chicken, hamburgers, whatever) if you want and bring a side dish to share. Any games you would like to bring would be welcomed as well. See you tomorrow!

Discipline

I've been thinking about "Discipline" lately. I think discipline is doing the most important things consistently. It's easier to do all the other stuff than the most important stuff. I think greatness is unattainable without discipline. You can't lose weight unless you workout and diet (the pills don't really work). You can't learn unless you pick up the book and read. You can't become an expert unless you spend a lot of time in the trade. Discipline is doing the most important things over and over and over again. Isn't it interesting that many of us call ourselves "Disciples". Do you think there's a comparison there?

Sermon Preparation Day

I haven't blogged about office hours and stuff like that yet. My normal practice is to set aside Tuesday for Sermon Preparation. I will attempt to avoid meetings, phone calls and other items on Tuesday - except for this blog, of course:) I normally come in, clean off my desk, check my email and go to town- which is what I'm going to do now.